Improvement in revolving fire-arms



H. S. JOSSELYN.

Revolver. K

Patented Jan, 23, 1866 f W j UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..

HENRY S. JOSSELYN, OF ROXBURY, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 HIMSELF AND W. E. WOODWARD, OF SAME PLACE.

` IMPROVEMENT' IN REVOLVING FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 52,248. dated J anuary 23, 1566.

To all 'whom L may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY S. JOSSELYN, ot Roxbury, in the county of Norfolk and State ot llassachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fire-Arms; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanyin g drawings, forming part ot' this specitication, in which- Figure l is a side view ot' a nre-arm made according to my invention, the receiver and part ot' the barrel being shown in section. Fig. 2 is a cross-section on the -line :z: ot' Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a det-ailed view of the device which holds the uppermost chamber stationary, and of part et the hammer. Fig. 4 is a. Aside view of the shal't which carries the chain ot' chambers.

This invention consists in providing a lirearm with a. series of cartridge-chambers connected so as to form an endless chain, which is carried upon a shaft whose rotation is ef'- fected by the cooking of the hammer.

A designates the barrel of a fire-arm, B its receiver, and l) its hammer. F is a crankplate fixed on one end of the axis et' the hammer.- This crank-plate carries a pawl, H, that extends upward therefrom alongside of the receiver, and acts upon a ratchet cut on the sha-ft or axis Lby reaching such ratchet through a vertical slot, h, made in the receiver. The trigger of the piece is seen at I. The shaft or axis L revolves in bearings in the under part of the receiver, directly beneath its center, and in line with the barrel A. It has a ratchet, m, formed ou it near its hinder end, which ratchet revolves opposite the vertical slot h, so as to be acted upon by the pawl H.

The axis L has on its periphery, at about the middle of its length, a series of arms, a, six in number in this example, and at equal distances apart. These arms are of such a length and thickness as that they will lit between adjacent chambersA of theehain, as shown in the drawings.

The chain J is here composed of twenty ear tridge-chambers, K, which have lugs q extending from opposite sides at each end, said lugs being hinged on-rods lr, that extend from the lugs ot one end to those of the other end between cach chamber, as seen in Fig. 1. 'lhe spaces which separate the several chambers n ot' the axis L to articulate in the spaces as the chain is .brought around, and the chain is by this means made to move with certainty and stcadiness. Each chamber K has, on the outer portion of its periphery, a groove, o, parallel with its axis and midway between the lugs q.

Vhen one of the chambers is in place in the receiver, as shown in Fig. 2, it is locked by the 'spring-latch C, which plays in a slot, P, cut through the top ot' the receiver. This latch consists ot' a horizontal body whose forward end is fastened to the receiver by a screw, and ot' a vertical tooth that projects downwardly from its back end in line with the groove ot' such one of the chambers K as is for the time in the receiver.

The position ot' the axisv L, the capacity oi.' the receiver, and the diameter of the chambers K, are determined with reference to the bore ot' the barrel A, so that any chamber C will have its bore in exact agreement with the bore of the barrel.

Fig. 3 is a detailed view of the latch C and of so much of the hammer as is necessary to show how the latch is operated.

spring, the tendency of which is to force the vertical part C downward into the receiver. 'lhe body G of the latch has an arm, c, extending backward so as to lie alongside ot' the hammer when the latter is down.

The lower edge of the arm c, at its end, has an' inclination, which swells as it runs forward and then suddenly terminates, thereby forming a dull hook-shaped comb. A pin, E, projects from that side of the hammer along which the arm c extends, and the operation of the pin and hammer'is to raise the latch out of engagement with the grooves O of the cartridge-chambers whenever the hammer falls, and also when it is drawn back for cooking, the pin E always being beneath the said arm c. At the time the hammer is drawn back the crank-plate F ou its axis is made t0 turn are such as will enable the arms or sprockets,

while in the receiver and locked by the la-tehl The body Gr of the latch constitutes itsand carry its pawl H upward so as to act upon the `ratchet m, thereby giving rotary motion to the axis L, which, through its arms or sprockets n, moves the chain of A cartridgechambers. This movement is from the center of one chamber K to thc next chamber.

The commencement of the movement is not impeded bythe latch, because the latter is, at that time, raised by the pin E of the hammer, and its termination is not impeded by the latch, because its body G, being elastic, allows the latch to be raised when the periphery of the advancing cartridge-chamber strikes against it.

All the chambers are to be kept supplied with cart-ridges, and when one of them reaches the highest position in the receiver, as shown in Fig. 2, it is ready to be discharged merely by bringing the hammer down.

'Ihev chambers and hammer are adapted for the use of cartridges which have around their back ends a flange lilled with fnlminating material, and which ange is reached by the hammer through a slot in the back part of the receiver in line with the slot P. As fast as the cartridges are fixed thechambers are revolved,

and the shells of the lcartridges are then re movedl and fresh cartridges placed in them.

do not claim, broadly, an endless chain of cartridge-chambers, nor do I claim revolvi the chain by a pawl in the act of cooking hammer; nor do I claim, broadly, locking cartridgechamber by means of a spring-latA -hut I claim- 1- In tire-arms, an endless chain of cartrid chambers arranged to rotate upon an a which is parallel with the bore of the bari and which has a series of sprockets thatgage with the int-erspaces of the chain, si. stantially as shown.

2. In combination, the endless chain J of cartridge-chambers, the spring-latch C with its arm c, and the pin E ot'V the hammer, substantially as shown.

The4 above specification of my invention si gned by me.

H. S. JOSSELYN.

Witnesses:

FAIRFIELD GILBERT, GEORGE H. BRAGKETT. 

